SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

September 11, 2007 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary (Part Two)

September 11, 2007 by Betsy Bird   Leave a Comment

(CONTINUED FROM PART ONE)

Now a more peculiar part of what I liked about this book was the appearance of the mice themselves. Most illustrators avoid accurate representations of mousey feet because they look… well, they look a bit unappealing. With their long soles and tiny toes at the end, mice have really really weird tootsies. McClintock wasn’t afraid to show `em like they were, though. I was delighted to see this too. The only other time I’ve ever seen mouse feet done correctly in a picture book was in Minnikin, Midgie and Moppet Mouse Story by Adelaide Holl as illustrated by the horrendously talented Priscilla Hillman. But then, that’s just me.

I should be a good girl and not forget to compliment Ms. Donofrio on her story as well. A writer who, at this point in time, is perhaps best known for her memoir "Riding in Cars with Boys", I wasn’t quite sure where the author was taking this story as I read it. Just glancing at it I was surprised at the idea of abandoning the first pair of children and picking up with their own offspring. Particularly when you consider that the last we hear of the original Mary and the mouse, they’ve simply grown up and started families. There seems to be a lot of regret on the part of the older generation. I did like the fact that their children are really the ones to break down barriers and say hi to one another, perhaps even to someday be friends, when their parents did not. Lest you start thinking that this is some didactic treatment of "overcoming prejudice" and the like, allow me to reassure you that the lesson here is subtle. Far more obvious is Donofrio’s smart wordplay and efficient use of her sentences. It allows for a book that is very touching, even when there isn’t an abundance of weepy sentiment going on. It is spare, crisp, clean writing.

Some people have compared this book to Mary Norton’s "The Borrowers", when viewing the tiny household items that make up the mouse homes. I’m not entirely certain the comparison is fair, but it’s probably the best there is out there anyway. With its beautiful illustrations, thick paper, and sublime watercolors I’m just utterly charmed by the pairing of Donofrio and McClintock. Perhaps if we are all good little librarians and parents and dutifully buy this book in droves then maybe we’ll be lucky enough to have another pairing of these two women in the near future. Hey, man. A girl can dream.

Other Blog Reviews: Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, BookBuds, Kids Lit, ParentDish,

Misc:
  • An interview with author Beverly Donofrio.

Filed under: Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Review of the Day - Trees: Haiku from Roots to Leaves by Sally M. Walker, ill. Angela McKay

by Betsy Bird

March 2023

Review of the Day: Hands by Torrey Maldonado

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Review of the Day: Afterward, Everything Was Different by Rafael Yockteng, ill. Jairo Buitrago

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Review of the Day: Nearer My Freedom: The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano by Himself created by Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Review of the Day: The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri, ill. Daniel Miyares

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who? (#184)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Gerald McBoing Boing by Dr. Seuss

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Nat the Cat Takes a Nap

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Here Be Monsters: On Horror, Catharsis, and Uneasy Truces with Yourself, a guest post by author Rebecca Mahoney

by Karen Jensen, MLS

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

9 Books to Help Young Readers Feel the Love on Valentine's Day

SLJ Book Reviews Editors' Favorite 2022 Best Books Covers

15 Short & Sweet Love Stories for Tweens and Teens

14 Women Writers Every Aspiring Author Should Know

24 Audiobooks To Encourage Ongoing Activism and Social Justice

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023